Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Before the panic squeezing my guts can rise and swell, Finn presses a firm kiss against my forehead. "I'm so happy for you," he says. "I'm so happy we could work this out for you."
I twist Hallie so that he can see my pretty baby. "This is Finn," I tell her as he reaches out to let her grab onto his pinkie. Her fingers are so tiny compared to his.
West approaches, too, resting his hand on my back. He kisses the top of my head and brushes back a stray piece of Hallie's hair that is tickling her eyes. "She looks just like you."
"You think?"
I always hoped she'd take after me rather than Carter, but he loved to tell everyone how much she looked like his mother, as though my connection to her was weaker than his.
Stop thinking about Carter, I tell myself.
They've made sure he's never going to bother us again. They did exactly what they promised, and my prayers protected them all. It's time to look forward, not back.
I search for Jack, finding him leaning against the wall with his leg bent and foot pressed against the plaster. I'm surprised to see him smiling softly. "Jack." I make my way to him, so overwhelmingly grateful for all he's done: the planning, the worrying … everything.
"Meet Hallie."
His bemused eyes sweep over Hallie's chubby cheeks and her little button nose. He gently reaches out his work-roughened palm and rests it on the top of her head as though he recognizes how precious and fragile she is. He quickly steps back.
"Thank you," I whisper, then turn to Finn and West. "Thank you."
"We protect what's ours, Skye. That's all you need to know. And you and Hallie, you're ours now. You don't ever have to worry about anything."
I blink, so surprised I have to swallow the ball of tears that wedges itself in my throat.
"I take care of what's mine, too," I tell them. "This home … all of you. It's the only place I want to be."
Jack presses off the wall again and wraps his arms around me and Hallie, and it's the first time I've ever felt truly safe. West and Finn approach and I'm passed from man to man, held securely in burley, solid lumberjack arms.
I cry because happiness and relief well up like a geyser breaking free. They brush away my tears, kissing my damp cheeks, telling me that I'm everything they ever hoped for but never believed they’d have.
I'm empty and broken, but I emerge from their embrace, healed and full of love.
Hallie starts to fuss, and we all laugh as relief over spills.
"I should sort her out. Maybe her diaper needs changing."
"Probably. Bill can handle a lot, but diapers aren't on his resume."
West reaches for a bag resting on the dining table and hands it to me. "I think I got everything you need, for now, at least. We can head into town tomorrow if anything's missing."
When I first met him, he shopped for me. Now he's shopping for my baby girl. Who would have guessed that a badass ex-military lumberjack would have such outstanding retail expertise?
In the bedroom, I lay Hallie on my comforter and empty the bag behind her. There are wipes and diapers, baby shampoo and bath products, a small towel and sponge, a comb, and a small tube of ointment. There are also a couple of sleepsuits in her size and the size up and a small stuffed bear with a sweet smile on its face and a tree on its little shirt.
I pass it to her, grinning as she grasps the bear with two chubby hands. "All it needs is a little pretend ax," I laugh as she immediately stuffs the bear's ear into her mouth. I undress her from her outfit, checking over her little body, holding my breath until I'm sure she's free of bruises and harm. She's lost a little of her baby chub in the past month, but maybe that's because I couldn't feed her anymore. I rest my hands over my breasts, wishing my milk to return, but it's long gone.
Once I've cleaned her little bottom and secured her into a fresh diaper and sleep suit, I return to the kitchen. Jack, West, and Finn are all seated around the dining table, speaking in hushed rumbles that stop when they see me.
There is a lot about tonight that I know they have no intention of sharing with me, and I'm okay with that. Our lives begin today, and everything in the past can stay dead and buried as far as I'm concerned.
On the table, is a box of baby bottles and four tins of formula, ready for hungry Hallie.
"Who's going to hold little miss while I fix her some milk?" I ask.
West is quick to hold out his hands, and I let him take her by the waist and watch with warmth as he rests her on his knee and bounces her gently. Finn and Jack look on with soft eyes and sweet smiles as though my little girl has chased the darkness from all their souls and replaced it with gentle affection.